Zeri: Serbia lobbies to enter the division of Kosovo into dialogue agenda. Heldt: Germany against division

Just one day after the two presidents met in Brussels, Zeri newspaper has presented information that Serbia is allegedly lobbying for the division of Kosovo.

The same media also published the reaction of the German Ambassador to Kosovo, Christian Heldt, in an exclusive interview. „Nobody could give me a convincing answer about what problems would such a division would solve. Would this be an improvement for most Kosovo Serbs living south of the Ibar? Would it improve the situation of historical and religious sites, such as Serbian Orthodox monasteries? Will it strengthen the representation of the Serb community within Kosovo society? No,“ said Helt, pointing out that his country strongly opposes the division.

This news is also broadcasted by other media in Albanian. The issue of the division appeared in the Kosovo public in February and March, when Gazeta Express published a series of articles that Aleksandar Vucic, Edi Rama, and Hashim Thaci allegedly discussed the division of Kosovo, that is, the exchange of territories, or ethnic separation.

At that time, along with these articles, Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin publicly claimed on several occasions that „demarcation“ was a solution to the Kosovo issue, and this month, he repeated the same message. On the other hand, the head of Serbian diplomacy, Ivica Dacic, claimed, that Pristina would accept the division without its „mentors“.

The international community reacted strongly to the reports in the Kosovo media today, while an Abbot at Visoki Decani Monastery, Sava Janjic, warned that in the case of division, Serbs would disappear. The Serbian Orthodox Church estimated in its appeal that divisions would lead to an exodus. Dr. Rada Trajkovic said that it would be „the worst solution that would essentially mean the destabilization of the region and certainly the destabilization of Serbia.“ At the same time, Thaci strongly denied the allegation of division, and the Serbian President said on the topic of these allegations: „Who will be the one to give it to us? Albanians? Or the Western forces? Are we at the farmer’s market, and this is their offer? Well, it will not happen.“